The social needs context… please

Make no mistake, a huge segment of mobile phone users are jumping all over Foursquare. Its fun, hip and who wouldn’t want to be major of their favorite bar? Say it with me…Norm!

The only challenge with Foursquare and other check-in services and games is they generate chaffe. Chaffe is defined as “Trivial or worthless matter.” Other culprits include Farmville, Mob Boss etc…Oh My!

Let me explain. Chaffe is something that clutters your inbox, news or Twitter feed when the update is not relevant at the precise point in time. What do we do? We can set up spam filters, feed filters or simply stop subscribing…begrudgingly.

Now, imagine 100% penetration and uptake of Foursquare by all the mobile users in North America alone. If each of us checked into Starbucks on the way to work, the office, the gym, the local pub, then home….this would generate 1.5 Billion updates per day in North America. Twitter is currently serving 50 Million Tweets per day. They would need to increase their already overloaded capacity by a multiple of 30 just for North America.

Since the average person follows 125 people, this translates into 635 Tweets that are simply chaffe…unless you are mobile and keen for a meet-up at the coffee shop, coming out of the office, the gym or at the pub.

Enter the phrase, context sensitive updates and tweets. Today’s developers should be building out system level preferences that let users accept updates that are in context. For me, this would mean turning on a preference to let trusted applications know I am mobile and keen for a choice meet up. I would also like a custom alert that would literally have my phone poke me, so I don’t miss out. Make no mistake, this would open privacy issues with my mobile provider…but they already know if I am out of my home.

Leave behind a comment and pile on this agenda. If we don’t get context aware applications, the shear volume of inane updates will turn us away.

Let’s Talk Twitter

A recent study from Edison Research in the US just announced that the level of familiarity of Facebook and Twitter are almost the same at 87% and 86% respectively.  The big difference falls in the area of application.  Although the majority of those that are familiar with Facebook also know how to use the social network, very few, just 7%, feel that they are actively using Twitter properly.

Given the numbers and the questions we keep being asked by faculty, admin, and students alike, it’s time for another pitch for Twitter.

People’s first reactions include ‘why bother’, ‘I don’t get it’, ‘what’s going on’, and ‘I already using _______’.  At the beginning, Twitter is confusing, different, and looks like a big waste of time.  But just like exercise, you have to make a commitment to get results.

Twitter can be used;

To learn – The Twitterverse is all about sharing.  Once you connect and start to follow people you will start see a constant stream of information from like-minded people and subject matter specialists.

To stay up to date – Twitter is instant information.  World events of all sorts will be reported faster on Twitter then any other media.

To promote events – There is a constant stream of events that are being announced, linked to and promoted on Twitter.

To connect with like minds – Connect with people that are talking about the same topics that are of interest to you.  You can share information with them, add to conversations, and connect for partnership opportunities.

To communicate – Twitter is a direct communication channel that can be used publicly or privately.  The advantage of public chats is that others can chime in and add thoughts, resources, or links that add to the conversation.  You can also quickly jump into a private conversation where you can share emails or phone numbers for more detail.

You have to decide what kind of commitment you are going to make to Twitter.  It also helps if you start to see the value of it.  I have expanded my local network with Twitter, participated in several amazing events, connected and lectured in a class in Nevada, promoted events, have had contacts lecture in my class through video from Toronto, and next week I start sailing, all because of Twitter.

I’m strengthening my Twitter muscle and continue to get results that make the commitment worthwhile.  However, it took a commitment upfront to get some momentum and find the value.  I strongly suggest you give Twitter some time and attention.  It will open up new doors if you take the time to knock on them.

Rene Faucher’s Values & Ours

Rene Faucher is a former boss of Andy’s.  Almost 3 weeks ago, Rene had a fall on the ice while playing hockey and hit the boards.  This fall resulted in Rene being paralyzed from the chest down.  Although as friends and supporters, we know this man has the will and energy to change is prognosis.  He’s very positive and already starting to feel new sensations that weren’t there a week ago.  You can read his updates on the Facebook Fan Page ‘Friends of Rene Faucher‘.

Rene is a 40-year-old father of three young children is expected to be in the hospital for at least a year through his recovery and rehabilitation. He did not have any long-term disability insurance. He had recently wound down his business where he worked with Andy and was starting to develop plans for his next venture.

Rene’s story touches Andy and I on many levels because we share many common values:  he’s an amazing dad and loving husband, entreprenuer and idea man, and an optimistic and caring soul.  He’s a good man who has been faced with a terrible situation that any of us could be placed in.  In Rene’s word to Andy at the hospital, “You don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”

It is for all these reasons that we have been working with the Ottawa 67s to put on a Family Fun Game in Rene’s honour.  We hope that you will join us, our family and friends, and many of Rene’s family, friends and supporters on February 7th at 2PM at Landsdown.

I would like to send a special thanks to Patrick Whalen and Sheryl Hunt for being instantly ready to help and incredibly supportive.  The Ottawa 67s is an organization that also shares our values of community, kindship and enjoyment of life.  Hats off to you all!

Reconnecting with Thomas Lynn at Algonquin College

The Story:

Thomas Lynn was a student of mine three years ago in my Marketing 1 class at Algonquin College.  I remember that Thomas was a mature (returning to school after having a careering in social work) from PEI, with 2 boys and he was an excellent student that asked questions, participated and had a keen interest in Marketing.  Turns out that he has majored in Marketing at Algonquin.

Last summer, we briefly ran into each other in a hallway and swapped ‘hey how are yas’.  At the time, Thomas was working on a project for the business school.

I recently stumbled upon Thomas on Twitter a few weeks ago when I was looking for an update from the Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition which was held at Mohawk College on the weekend of November 19th.  I went to Twitter Search and was looking for anyone commenting on what was happening at the competition.  That’s when Thomas and I reconnected. These were the Tweets I was following that night:

With Twitter you read from bottom to top. You can follow Thomas on Twitter @thomaslynn.

After I read the post, I congratulated him, connected online and proposed that talk more about social media marketing and networking in Ottawa.  We ended up meeting at the first ever Gen Y Ottawa event at the Mercury Lounge along with close to 100 motivated Gen Yers.

At the Gen Y event Thomas and I talked at length about his experience with social networking tools, his win at OCMC and what his WhyHire.me experience would be like next term in his Transition to Marketing Professional class.  We also talked about my upcoming speaking engagement in his Integrated Marketing Communication class.  I needed to understand what level of knowledge the students had prior to my talk.

Our discussions have continued and Thomas is recently started a WordPress blog which we will help him attach to his WhyHire.me profile next term.  The story will continue as the pieces of Thomas’ social media marketing strategy for his personal brand evolve.  The icing on the cake will be pulling the pieces together and further explaining the potential next term.

The Experiment:

This post is legitimate post but also a test of SEO for student Thomas Lynn, Business/Marketing student at Algonquin College in Ottawa.  I will reveal the story as the experiment progresses.

Phase I – I googled Thomas Lynn and Algonquin College and in 1 minute after completing the post I found Thomas on the first page of Google in our blog.  I then googled Thomas Lynn and Ottawa and I found him in 1 minute on the second page of Google.  I tried Thomas Lynn and checked 10 pages and couldn’t find my blog entry.

Phase II – I added tags to the post including Algonquin College, Thomas Lynn, and marketing student.  I also added the first phase of our story, the past.  The results were that in 5 minutes Thomas Lynn and Algonquin College was the first entry on the first page of Google.  When I searched Thomas Lynn and Ottawa the blog post showed up on the first page as the 5th entry.  I still can’t find the post on the first 10 pages of when I just include his Thomas Lynn.  I guess I should point out now that my Thomas Lynn is fighting for search with a man that is on death row which makes this experiment more interesting.  Now to add to the story above; the present.

Phase III – I added the Twitter connection to the story which which included links and some new tags.  The results of the search did not change in 5 minutes but I will check again later this afternoon.  Google bots need some time to find your story.  Phase IV will come tomorrow.

Phase IV – Results are the same.  Phase V will occur as part of his WhyHire.me profile next term.

Top Twitter Recuiter Talks to WhyHire.me

Just before Halloween, I connected with Dawn Mular, the world’s top recruiter on Twitter and CEO of the Helping Friends Career Network. Dawn was very easy to connect and interact with, given the nature of what she does. She takes a genuine interest in people, collaborative technologies and helping put people to work.

Many times over, school administrators and HR professionals ask why students should be coming out of school with an online brand. I was keen to get Dawn’s perspective on how social media has changed recruiting and how her clients react to seeing more than a traditional 2-page resume about a candidate.  For those that are interested in downloading the entire 10-minute podcast, simply click here.

For those interested in key sections, you can download and listen to key extracts:

Part 1

• How the Helping Friends Career Network got started
• The secret to her success becoming the top Twitter recruiter

Part 2

• Client reaction to social media in the recruiting world
• Stepping outside the traditional recruiting box – how and why
• Important employment trend – green businesses will mean more job / project opportunities

Part 3

• Advice to Educators and Leaders – become part of the movement
• Bring transparency and authenticity to the classroom

Creativity Sells!

Here is a guy in Kentucky that shared the results of his $10 investment in Sharpie markers. Look how he finished his basement! His story is spreading across the world thanks to social networks, Twitter and the like. Check out the link to see a 360 degree shot of the room. It is amazing.

The next time you think about presenting your ideas, be it a school project, proposal or oral presentation, go beyond the research and facts you present. If you take the time to creatively sell the concept, your audience will take note and get all the more excited about your recommendations. Why is that?

When something catches your attention visually or through your imagination, the underlying proposal or idea behind the creativity simply resonates more.  I have walked away from some great presentations really fired up because someone took the time to educate and entertain me. Interestingly enough, I discovered this Vancouver based company exclusively focused on creativity at work.  They help business people through arts-based training, coaching and research-based consulting.

Keep this in mind as you think about your school projects and the content you build for your online profile. Creativity sells!

Interview with Sarah Ormon – Switched On!

I interviewed Sarah Ormon, a student from our Transition to Marketing Professional course last Friday.

Blogging, Twitter & More

Last week in class,

What goes around comes around…a key rule of thumb

Before the advent of web, our parents would warn us, be careful what you say when talking about someone or something. The lesson was, your words can get twisted and reshaped…innocent remarks or commentary about how someone behaved or what was said, could get completed twisted around. That said, the impact of an intentional or unintentional swipe had limited impact on someone’s personal brand…

Today’s social media tools and outlets have given us immense communications and branding capabilities. They also carry risks. Here is a key lesson learned.

A public relations consultant by the name of James Andrew was on his way to a large client in Memphis.

Let

Social media tools allow people to join together online to discuss, contribute, share, influence and create. The tools that make these functions possible are diverse and changing rapidly.

Most people are aware of Facebook (much more on Facebook in future posts) and MySpace which are social networking tools. Next on the list would be YouTube for video sharing or Flickr for photo sharing. This blog is another form of social media. But more recently we have micrblogging with Twitter or social bookmarking and tagging using a variety of tools including Digg, Technorati or StumbleUpon. The tools keep coming at us and provide us with new ways to connect and affect the world around us. We are no longer the silent masses but individuals that have a voice and the ability to share and promote our thoughts, perspectives and expertise.

The students of tomorrow can take advantage of these tools to market themselves, their ideas, and their differences to potential employers. We want to give them a new platform to develop their professional social media persona but they must also learn to manage their social persona.